Duck Hooding

Duck hooding is the industry name for high quality, tightly woven cotton canvas, which was used on convertible vehicles in the pre-war years, before shortages made it necessary for alternative materials to be sought.

It isn't used on modern cars, but duck hooding can still be sourced for restoration of vintage vehicles. 

What it means

Duck hooding is the traditional cotton canvas used for soft tops on early convertibles and tourers. It is a tightly woven, heavy cloth that forms the outer skin of the hood, stretched over a frame and stitched at seams. Before modern synthetic hooding materials became common, duck hooding was the standard choice for many pre-war and early post-war cars. Today it is rarely, if ever, used on new vehicles but is still produced so that restorers can retrim vintage cars in a material that matches the original look and feel.

Why it matters

• Authentic for vintage cars: Using duck hooding helps keep classic and pre-war cars true to their original specification, which is important for originality, concours judging and resale value.
• Distinct appearance and feel: Cotton duck has a particular texture, drape and matte finish that looks different from modern mohair and vinyl hooding, giving older cars the period-correct character owners expect.
• Different behaviour to modern hooding: Being cotton-based, duck hooding can absorb more moisture, fade more readily and need more frequent proofing and care than modern acrylic or PVC materials.
• Impacts leak and maintenance work: When diagnosing leaks or planning roof restoration on a vintage soft top, knowing it is duck hooding guides the choice of cleaning products, proofers and repair methods.

Where you’ll see it

You will see duck hooding mentioned mainly in the context of classic and vintage cars. Trimmers, restoration shops and parts catalogues list double duck or duck hooding by the metre, and restoration invoices may state hood retrim in duck hooding. Inspection reports on older convertibles may note original duck hooding still fitted, duck hooding tired and faded or new duck hood fitted in period-correct material.

Context

Duck hooding sits alongside other hood materials such as mohair hooding, acrylic canvas and vinyl/PVC hooding. It is cotton-based, whereas modern mohair hooding is usually acrylic-based and more dimensionally stable and water resistant. On a restoration, the choice between duck and modern materials is often a trade-off between originality and ease of long-term care. Duck hooding is part of a wider system that includes the hood frame, headlining, padding, tensioning straps, rear window and seals, all of which need to work together to keep the cabin dry and presentable.

Common mistakes

• Replacing original duck hooding with a modern material without considering the impact on originality and value for a historically important car.
• Cleaning duck hooding with harsh TFR, bleach or very stiff brushes, which can damage the cotton fibres and accelerate fading or rot.
• Assuming duck hooding is naturally fully waterproof and neglecting periodic proofing, leading to the fabric holding water and encouraging mould and mildew.
• Judging an old duck hood only by surface dirt and ignoring deeper issues such as perished stitching, weakened cloth at stress points and shrunken panels that no longer tension properly.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 01/12/2025 16:06